The present invention relates to devices utilized on motor vehicles for reducing the effects of incident sunlight, and more particularly, to a sun screen applique which simulates the aesthetic appearance of a three-dimensional mechanical window louvre structure.
In recent years, the automotive industry has manufactured a variety of passenger vehicles which include a hatchback or liftback panel extending in an angular orientation between the roof panel and rear end of the vehicle. To insure that occupant visibility from within the vehicle is not impaired, the majority if not all of these hatchback panels are provided with a relatively large area rear window which typically extends substantially throughout the length and width of the hatchback panel. Although providing increased occupant visibility, the large windows of the hatchback panels significantly increase the transmittance of incident sunlight within the interior compartment of the vehicle which causes an attendant increase in the temperature of the interior compartment and typically promotes fading of the coach work upholstery materials.
In recognizing these adverse temperature and fading deficiencies associated with the large window design of the hatchback panels, the prior art has heretofore provided mechanical window louvre structures which are installed upon the vehicle to cover the exterior surface of the window. As is well known, these mechanical louvre structures are formed of a plurality of vertically spaced shutter panels which are laterally offset or overlapped with respect to one another, and formed of an anodized or coated aluminum material to yield a sporty aesthetic appearance. Due to the vertical spacing or voids formed between the individual shutter panels of the device, occupant visibility in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the louvres is provided while incident sunlight in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the louvres is screened from the interior of the vehicle. Although such prior art mechanical louvre devices have proven useful and aesthetically pleasing in their general application, there are inherent deficiencies associated in their specific use.
Foremost of these deficiencies is the relative high cost of such mechanical louvre structures which typically ranges between one hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars per unit. Further, in view of the prior art louvre structures being typically mechanically mounted to the exterior body of the vehicle, installation charges often exceed the initial capital cost of the device and hence, render the device financially unacceptable to a vast majority of the public.
In addition to their high cost, the mechanical louvre structures often reduce lateral visibility of the occupants within the vehicles to an extent which poses a significant safety hazard during operation of the vehicle. These safety hazards have prompted the Federal as well as State legislators to promote minimum visibility, transmittance, and reflectance standards for louvre/sun screen devices which in many instances have curtailed or prevented their continued use on motor vehicles.
Further, due to their mechanical mounting upon the exterior of the vehicle, the prior art mechanical louvre structures are subject to environmental corrosion, susceptible to theft, as well as pose difficulties in permitting the cleaning of the rear window of the vehicle. Hence, there exists a substantial need in the art for a vehicular window sun screening device which although maintains the aesthetic value of the prior art mechanical window louvre structures, is relatively inexpensive to purchase and install, does not impair occupant visibility, and may be effectively utilized throughout prolonged duration without being subject to corrosion or theft.